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New consultations invite you to get involved in shaping 21st century Scottish environment regulations

28 September 2017

Everyone with an interest in Scotland’s environment, health & wellbeing, and economy is being encouraged to take part in important consultations that will shape the future of environmental regulation.

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The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Scottish Government have published consultation documents for the next stages of the journey to an integrated authorisation framework - designed to bring real benefits to the environment, communities, businesses, and SEPA itself.

SEPA is currently consulting on three key areas:

A ‘Public Participation Statement’ - how SEPA will involve you in its decisions on environmental authorisations.

Guidance on who can hold an authorisation - ensuring only legitimate individuals and businesses that take their environmental responsibilities seriously are given an authorisation in the first place.

An Authorisation Guide setting out how the integrated authorisation framework will apply to the management of radioactive substances.

Everyone is encouraged to make their views known, whether you respond to all questions or only the areas you are most interested in.

This phase follows on from the consultation on the proposals for the creation of the integrated authorisation framework, launched in January. Responses to this showed there was strong support for the proposals overall. The Scottish Government is now consulting on the draft regulations required to make the framework a reality.

The integrated authorisation framework will bring together environmental authorisations relating to water, waste, radioactive substances and pollution prevention and control. The regulations will standardise, simplify and streamline the process for complying with environmental legislation in Scotland, providing clarity for businesses about the authorisations they need and what is required of them to comply - and a better understanding for communities about how we will regulate the sites they live beside.

SEPA’s Chief Executive, Terry A’Hearn, said:

The integrated authorisation framework and this supporting guidance will play a key role in delivering a 21st Century approach to regulation for Scotland and I encourage everyone to help us to deliver it. An effective Environment Protection Agency includes communities and individuals in considering significant decisions that might affect them, so it’s vitally important that our public participation statement ensures people know how and when they can get involved.

“We are seeking everyone’s views, businesses, individuals and community groups, to ensure we have accountability and transparency. We want to get it right so that we can all benefit from a more flexible, risk-based, outcome-focused approach to regulation. If you have an interest in the environment and in Scotland please read the consultation documents and tell us what you think”.